Lesley Grainger

Red Tree

2012-02-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone I will be doing a sneak peak of my new fabrics coming soon. Available exclusively in my shop, more details later. Can you tell I love trees and birds. Busy week, lots of deadlines!

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

When I grow up...

2012-02-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

From the age of 5 I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I told my dad I want to be an Artist when I grow up. He said to me, its hard to make a living doing that. I thought I still want to be an Artist. I spent most of my time creating in my room. I pretended to have my own TV show teaching people how to make things. Very lovely memories for me discovering creativity, it still makes me happy to create. Later I went to Art College and studied my BA in Children's Book Illustration. That is one of my passions, along with painting. There is so much I want to give with my work, my ideas never stop. Right now, I'm working on some new children's books. But more about that later, much later cause it takes a while. But for now here is a series of teeny tiny children's books for those teeny tiny hands published last year for Publications International. There are 12 books with 60 fun, whimsical and colorful illustrations to spend time teaching your little one. You can find 'My First Books' in Target, Toys R us and Amazon.com. Share what you wanted to be growing up?

PS My Dad loves my work and is very pleased with what I've done :)

Love Pets

2012-02-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

My daughter is 15 (yes I can't believe it myself!) and my son is 9 love pets but this is the closest we've got to owning them. Well, we have a snake and a fish so thats not really a proper pet but they really really want a dog!

Philippians 4:13

2012-02-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

40 Days In The Word scripture doodle-a-day. My sketches are not perfect, they come from a spiritual place in my heart that expresses the Word. Here is the week 3 message. Seeing What God Wants Me To See. I love that!!

Philippians 4:19

2012-02-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Day 7 of 40 Days In The Word.

Yorkshire Tea

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday morning everyone. Hope your weekend was relaxing. I spent a lot of time organizing, not a lot of time to do that when your a mom and run a small business from home. For my quiet time every morning I like to have a nice cup of Yorkshire Gold tea with a little milk to smooth the taste. It's amazingly good and one of England's finest Teas. (Yorkshire is the region were I'm originally from in England). . I make it for all my friends and they love it so much, they buy it. Available here. Let me know if you get some. BTW I'm not affiliated with them. Have a great day. Check back Wednesday for another post.

Doodle Friday

2012-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Doodle Friday blog friends! This is one of my favorites, I'm in the process of painting this on a huge canvas that I will share when its done. If you have any doodles that you would like to be considered for posting on my blog, email me. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Sew Fantastic

2012-01-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Terri over at Sew Fantastic Blog did an awesome job on a quilt created with my Launch fabric. You can check out how she created this adorable quilt tutorial here.

Dancing Peacocks

2012-01-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

I designed Dancing Peacocks a while ago, lots of whimsey and fun colors to brighten up your day!

Arcadia Pattern Quilt

2012-01-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

Pretty Paisley Garden - Arcadia Quilt Pattern

Pretty Paisley Retro - Arcadia Quilt Pattern

Good morning blog friends, hope your weekend was good. Here is a quilt pattern designed by Mountain Peek Creations with my Pretty Paisley Fabric Collection with Robert Kaufman. There are two colorways, Retro and Garden.

Doodle Friday

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yay... its Friday. Time for some random creative doodling. These are doodles I created while watching American Idol with my husband and kids. We love that show! If you have some time today grab a pen or pencil and doodle whatever comes to your mind. It doesn't have to be anything specific, maybe abstract shapes. It's relaxing and therapeutic. Let your mind create without thinking too much about it. I almost went into art therapy, it's something I find fascinating. In College, I wrote my final thesis on "Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious". I think there's a very interesting connection with our unconscious mind and random doodling. Happy Friday everyone, have a great weekend!

Studio shots

2012-01-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

Some recent painting shots from my studio.

Joy

2011-12-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

This pattern is from my Joy collection. Only 2 more days... eek! We drove around the neighborhood last night to look at Christmas light, so pretty!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

I've almost finished my shopping! Just a couple more gifts. I love Christmas, my absolute favorite holiday. A couple of my favorite family traditions that we have done every year since the children were small, we watch Polar Express and drink hot chocolate when they drink it in the movie. We also like to go to the boat parade around Balboa Island and drink more hot chocolate. Please share one of your favorite family Christmas traditions :)

Pretty Paisley Quilt

2011-12-09T08:28:00.001-08:00

A little while ago I asked Jessica at Twin Fibers to make a quilt for my new Pretty Paisley flannel fabric collection with Robert Kaufman. I am so in love with this quilt, it turned out so pretty! Jessica posted on her blog how she made the quilt. There are three posts on how she created her Pretty Paisley flannel quilt. Scroll down for links on how Jessica created the quilt. Here is the first link.

Details of how she made it here.

And the final quilt here. Thank you Jessica for sharing your Pretty quilt!

New Painting

2011-12-06T11:34:00.001-08:00

Here is one of my new paintings on canvas that I will be selling on etsy soon. These paintings are a spiritual inspiration that showcase my true passion for painting and love of color. The art is big abstract florals with layers and layers of texture and bright color. This painting is 36in x 36in.

Doodle Friday

2011-12-02T08:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone. This week has been a busy one. Already December and I'm feeling the holiday rush. I have to remind myself to slow down and think about what's important and I don't have to accomplish everything. There are going to be things that don't get done and I have to tell myself I'm ok with that. I love reading Lysa Terkeurst and I thought this blogpost was a nice reminder.

Artsy Findings Shop

2011-11-30T10:12:00.001-08:00

I am excited to share with you about my friend launching a new on-line scrapbook supply shop artsyfindings. Cheryl's new shop is full of fun, pretty and artsy crafts. I especially love the Vintage Christmas "Noel" Banner. You can read about Cheryl here.

Happy Thanksgiving Family and Friends

2011-11-22T13:19:00.001-08:00

Hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good food and fun!

art4healing

2011-11-20T14:07:00.001-08:00

This weekend I went to a local class called Art4healing. It is a non-profit organization that supports healing thru art. I recently met Laurie Zagon and she told me all about her art healing program. It was a wonderful experience to see how the painting classes are help teach children and adults how to communicate feelings that they don't have words for. They work with a lot of military families and sick children to help them get thru the things they have experienced. There is more information on the website here.

Doodle Friday

2011-11-18T08:40:00.001-08:00

Happy Do-A-Doodle Friday everyone. Doing this post has inspired my work so much. I have been doodling all week, just while I'm waiting. It's amazing how much time we spend waiting for stuff. So I have been carrying around my sketchbook and really letting my mind free up and embrace the creative process. It is so interesting to see how each doodle develops from the previous.

Try This
draw a doodle, maybe birds, flowers, trees. Whatever it is you love, then from that doodle draw another one. Do this a few times and see how your drawing develops. One tip, hold your pen or pencil loosely, like halfway and it will loosen up your drawing and your mind. If we hold on tight, it tightens the creativity. Interesting! Even if you think your not the creative type, just try it, you are using the right side of your brain, it is like a muscle that develops the more you use it.

Doodlers, Unite!
What inspired me to do this blog post was a video I watched on-line. So I wanted to share that with you here.

Here is one of my doodles for this week.

This is the life

2011-11-17T08:44:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Mimi, lucky winner of the print giveaway. Thank you to everyone who participated.

If I hadn't been an artist I would be a photographer, I love taking pictures of anything and everything. This is one of my favorites, I didn't have the best camera with me but the picture is great. We saw these seals on a trip to San Francisco, we spent a lot of time watching them. My kids love animals and so do I.

Life's Tapestry

2011-11-16T09:41:00.001-08:00

My son has been home sick for a week, so I havaen't had a lot of time to work. I needed to do something creative, so I played around with some watercolors. It's always fun to create a random design using a different medium. My days are so busy working hard and juggling many things. It's not easy being a mom and running a business. But my family always come first. I put my work second to them, thats why it has taken me years to develop my business. But I believe everything is in God's timing, not mine. I once heard a story that life is like a tapestry, we see the bottom with all the strings hanging down and we can't really see the picture. But God sees the top of the tapestry, woven together, creating a beautiful story. I like that, it makes me feel better about life's imperfections and difficulties.

Don't forget to leave a comment for my print giveaway here, ends November 17th.

Doodle Friday

2011-11-11T14:07:00.001-08:00

Here is my doodle for today. I like to let my mind go and draw without thinking too much. Its very therapeutic and relaxing. If you want to try some therapeutic doodles, don't have a plan of what you want to draw. Start by drawing shapes and letting whatever appears on the page. The more you doodle, the more ideas will naturally come. It's a fun exercise using the creative part of the mind, the right brain. Remember, it's about the process not the end result. You can't go wrong with a doodle!

Give thanks giveaway

2011-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, November reminds us what we are thankful for. My favorite holiday next to Christmas is Thanksgiving. I'm doing a giveaway of my 'give thanks' print from my etsy shop. Leave a comment about what you are thankful for on my blog and follow my Facebook page. Winner will be announced November 17th.

Doodle Friday

2011-11-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 29:11 one of my favorite verses! My artwork always starts with inspiration from God. It helps me to focus and stay on purpose for what God wants for me and not what I want. We can get so wrapped up in the everyday things and forget what our purpose is. This verse really helps me to remember that, I like to doodle a lot. I am one of those people that everywhere I go I'm doodling. It really helps me to focus and listen. I actually doodle when I'm in church, I get so many ideas listening to my Pastor and doodling. My husband use to think I wasn't listening and would give me a little nudge! But in fact, doodling is actually good for the brain. It helps me to stop fidgeting and gather my thoughts. I never really did that great in school because I'm so right brained. There has been a lot of research on doodlers recently about how doodling helps you to pay attention. Here is one.

I love this, "when you're being creative, you're most like God because you're made in His image!"

- Pastor Rick Warren (my awesome Pastor!!)

So I'm starting a new thing called 'Doodle Friday' to get our creative thoughts going. I will share my doodles with you every friday. If you would like to share some with me, email me low res jpg and I will post my favorites next week. They will be on my new blog next Friday.

Happy doodling friday to you all.

Wild friends apron

2011-11-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Hope you all had a fun and happy halloween with lots of treats! Wow already November, time just flies. It's still pretty hot here, in the 80's some days. I'm looking forward to some cooler weather. I came across a really cute apron using my Wild Friends fabric collection. Thought I would share it with you and give a shout out to etsy shop 'The Apron Addict'. Very cute goodies! Great for Christmas gifts :)

Quilt Market this weekend

2011-10-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Quilt Market is this weekend, I won't be there because of schedule conflicts but if your there, stop by the Robert Kaufman booth to see my new collections: Launch and Pretty Paisley. Have a great weekend!

I saw a quilt contest HERE

Halloween crafts for kids

2011-10-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost here and I love crafts. Here are some fun ideas I found for the family to have create.
1. Halloween play dough
2. Bats so cute
3. Little ghost feet
4. Green blob in a bottle

Winner of Launch Giveaway

2011-10-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! Thank you to everyone who left comments on the giveaway, I loved reading them. Congratulations to Jackie Russell, comment #3.

Launch Fabric Giveaway - closed

2011-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a giveaway of my new Launch fabric collection. Follow my blog AND leave a comment to enter to win. If you're already a follower just mention that in your comment. Winner will be announced October 24th.

Good luck everyone. Please note: giveaway is USA only.

P.S. I would love to hear some things you would like to see on my blog... or tell me what you think the fabrics would look cute as. I'm thinking quilted pillows.

Pretty Paisley Sneak Peak 2

2011-10-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

This week has been a busy one around here! Lots to do and lots to share. Here's another sneak peak at the second colorway in the Pretty Paisley from Robert Kaufman. I love these colors, so fun and fresh! The fabrics are comfy flannel and comes with a really fun and pretty panel for quilting. The collection will ship to shops in January 2012 but is available to order from an RK rep now. Don't forget to check back for my fabric giveaway. Almost friday everyone... yippee!

Photographs by Speckled Stones Photography

Pretty Paisley Fabric Collection

2011-10-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello again, here is the sneak peak I promised of my other new fabric with Robert Kaufman. It's called Pretty Paisley and I love this collection. Pretty Paisley is a comfy cosy flannel in two colorways. I will show the second colorway hopefully this week. The collection will ship to shops in January 2012 but is available to order from an RK rep now. Don't forget to check back for my fabric giveaway. Hope your week is going fab!!

Photographs by Speckled Stones Photography

Launch Fabric is here!

2011-10-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! This is why I love what I do... I'm super excited to share my new Robert Kaufman fabric collection with you. Fabric takes a while for the finished product, but so worth the wait! I have two collections coming out, here is the 'LAUNCH' fabric collection I designed for Robert Kaufman, isn't it so bright and fun! I have another collection that I will be doing a sneak peak this week, really pretty fabrics!! Yay, so check back for more fun fabric sneaky peakys. Now for all you fabric lover followers, I'm doing a FQ giveaway, more news about that coming soon :)

LAUNCH ships to stores end of November.

Photographs by Speckled Stones Photography

Sneak peak week

2011-10-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Monday already! The weekend flew by. Here are some shots I took at the beach. My husband got me a camera for Christmas, so I drive my family a bit loopy taking pictures of every little thing. SNEAK PEAK WEEK I will be posting a sneak peak on my new fabrics, so be sure to check back. Have a happy monday!

Dollhouse art and growthchart

2011-09-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, so happy its friday and I have something fun to share with you this morning. Here is a dollhouse painting and growth chart I designed for Target. My neighbor's little girl, saw it on my screen and said to me "can I play in there?" I thought that was so cute!!

It's available on-line HERE

The dollhouse growth chart is HERE

Have a great weekend!

happy friday and happy fall everyone!

2011-09-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Fall is here but its still hot. I miss the seasons being in California. I'm originally from England and if you haven't been it's very very cold there in winter! I don't miss the extreme cold but I miss cold cozy nights by the fire. I have lots of things lined up in the next few weeks that I will be sharing with you. My new fabric line will be launched at the International Quilt Market in Houston. I will be doing some sneak peaks for you. My new website and e-commerce shop (yes I said shop) will be opening (date TBD) I'm so excited about that. Lots of work to do. So I hope you have a happy friday and happy fall.

Doodle day

2011-09-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Happy monday blog friends! Hope you had a great weekend! Ours was busy and fun doing chores, errands, soccer game and a much needed trip to the beach on sunday. The water looked so pretty and blue. I had to take a deep breath and take a mental picture (sigh) so I could remember it when life gets busy this week. The weather was 75... my perfect temperature. Doodling always gives me inspiration when I don't feel like thinking too much. Something freeing about not having a plan and drawing what arrives on the paper. Enjoy your week everyone! Leave me a comment about your weekend, I'd love to read it.

I got my fabrics delivered today!

2011-09-12T20:10:00.001-07:00

I got my latest fabric collection delivered today, yippee!! Oh I love getting packages in the mail. Robert Kaufman did a great job, the fabrics are bonny, cuddly and yummy! I can't wait to share them with you. I will do a sneak peak in October, sorry to make you wait!

This is not my new fabric, but I love the flowers and the colors...

Hello again :)

2011-09-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from a wonderful break. Hope you all had a great summer. My kids went back to school today. I'm always a little sad to see them go. You know how it is, the summer is such a nice break, spending family time together, days at the beach, fun and adventure. But I must admit I like the routine when they're back at school, I get A LOT more done!

I have lots and lots to share with you the next few weeks, including two fabric collections coming out in December and I can't wait to show them to you! My website will be re-done very soon and I have something exciting coming this fall that I can tell you about later.

Have a great new school year moms, dads and kids!

African Daisy

2011-07-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

I did a whole collection with the African Daisy flower. This is one of the designs. Its been a busy week, juggling projects and kids summer stuff! Today I'm taking a break from work and off to the pool! Hope you have a fun filled friday!

Blue truck

2011-07-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Keeping busy, moving along! Hope your week is a good one. I'm enjoying my summer but its going by fast! 10x10 canvas art available HERE.

Happy Monday

2011-07-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

The weekend just flew by right! So here's something to cheer up your monday.

Its friday... Lets have some fun

2011-07-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Happy friday everyone. We're going to a concert in the park tonight with the kids. Summer fun! Have a great weekend whatever you are doing.

My ABC boys

2011-07-14T10:08:00.001-07:00

Looking for cute canvas wall art for a boys room. This art is on canvas box frame ready to hang. You can find My ABC HERE. It's Fun, colorful, and contemporary.

My ABC's

2011-07-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

Looking for cute canvas wall art for a girls room. This art is on canvas box frame ready to hang. You can find My ABC HERE. It's Fun, colorful, and contemporary.

Close to my heart!

2011-07-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

June 23, I thought was the last day of school for my kids but became a turning point in our lives!

I was looking forward to a relaxing and fun summer with my family. I haven't been posting much lately because I had a lot of personal stuff going on. I want to share something very close to my my heart, I don't often talk about family life too much on my blog. But today I want to share a story that has changed our lives forever.

My husband was having chest pains for a couple of months each time he exercised, he thought it was the cold weather getting in his lungs or being tired. He hurt his back lifting something and went to the doctor to get his back looked at. He happen to mention the chest pain, so our amazing doctor decided to do further tests. They discovered he had damage to his heart. Last thursday he went in for an Angiography. We really didn't know what to expect. Long story short the heart surgeon put 4 stents in his heart to unblock his left main artery. The surgeon told us my husband was very lucky they caught it. My husband is 45, very athletic (plays a ton of soccer) and healthy. His cholesterol was high and that was the only early indication of this problem, the chest pain came when the artery was really blocked. His high cholesterol is genetic. The surgeon said he survived because he is healthy and fit. He is now doing great, feeling more energized and no pain. This was a very difficult time for us and we now have to be very careful to eat right, exercise and really take care of ourselves. Please get your cholesterol checked. It's a matter of the heart!

PS Hoping to get back on track next week, stay tuned for some new art.

Give thanks

2011-06-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

BRB

2011-06-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the most intuitive and simple design turn out the best. Have a good weekend!

a little prayer goes a long way

2011-06-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

I received a sweet message this week and I just had to blog about it. God works in amazing ways, we just never know how He is going to touch our life and other lives. This blog post was a true blessing, it came on a day when we received some very difficult news and just made me realize that when things feel like they're falling apart, God has His arms wrapped around us. Thank you Joy for sharing your lovely story! The world is so much more connected than we think... read here

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Psalm 25:9 (NIV)

Jungle Junction quilt

2011-06-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

This lovely quilt was made from my Wild Friends fabric collection with Robert Kaufman. The pattern is available HERE.

Etsy shop I love

2011-06-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

I love etsy and I love all the creative items you find there. One of my favorite things to collect is hand made pottery! I came across Diana Fayt recently, she creates pottery is inspired by her life and nature. I love the colors and the earthy feel to her ceramics. You can see more of her collections in her etsy shop here.

Have a blessed day!

2011-06-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday blog friends, hope your day is blessed! I'm so ready for the kids to finish school and start our summer fun.

This was my favorite bible verse of the week:

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Hey 8th graders... Thank you for your inspiration

2011-06-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Today was so amazing! I got to do a presentation on my career as a designer to the 8th graders in my daughters school. She came home so excited, her classmates said they loved my work. What a blessing, this makes my job all worthwhile! I hope that I inspired lots of young designers to pursue a career in Design! You ALL inspired me today... Peace out 8th class of 2015!

God you inspire me!

2011-05-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had such a lovely weekend with my family. We had a relaxing time that we all really needed. Summer is definitely almost here, we got a nice taste of it the last few days. I posted some pictures that I took of the of my moms garden, so pretty! Hope your week is blessed and FULL of God's inspiration!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" -Ephesians 2:8

Happy Memorial Day weekend

2011-05-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day weekend. Hope you have a fun time whatever your doing. We're planning on some fun with the kids, sunshine, swimming and lot of R&R!

We are all a tapestry

2011-05-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

When things get difficult the first thing I try to do is turn to God, its not always my first thought, but He reminds me that I need to do that. He is my refuge, He is my rock, He is my salvation. I know there are so many people hurting around the world for different reasons, some more extreme than others. But I just want you to know that God is with you always, even when you don't think He is. He takes care of us when we can't do it ourselves, He lifts us up when we can't, He loves us when we don't. So for all those who are hurting in any way I pray that you will feel God's presence today, in some way! When I want to feel or see God, I look around me and He is everywhere. Look at the beauty of a flowers, a child's eyes, a baby laughing or crying, a bird flying. He is there, we just have to look and feel Him. We can't understand everything because we are not capable of seeing the whole picture, we only see the bottom of the tapestry, all messy and not very clear. But God sees the top of the tapestry, a beautifully woven picture of His people that He loves. I hope your day is blessed with God's love.
“In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.” John 17:18 (MSG)

2011-05-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Central Park

Times Square

Well Surtex was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed hanging out with my husband in New York. We had a little time to tour around, this was our first time in NY. I loved Central Park, so pretty! I missed my kids, that was the first time I've been away from them for that long. I want to take them there next time we go. We met some great artist that are now sweet friends and some really nice people to follow up with. All in all I was very pleased with the show. Its monday and lots to catch up with now were back. Have a great week.

First time at Surtex

2011-05-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

New collection sneak peak!

This will be my first time at Surtex and I'm so excited and nervous. It will be a totally new experience for me. For the last few months I've lived and breathed designing for the show. Someone said it's like planning a wedding but I think it's way more! I have a lot new collections to show and can't wait to be there with all the amazing talent. My husband will be there too, it's our first time to New York so we have some fun days out planned. If you're there please stop by and say Hi - Booth 255 :)

Sutex 2011

2011-05-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

See you there:)

America the Beautiful

2011-05-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Tons of fun detail for kids to learn!

I am so excited to share my new USA map artwork available in Target stores nationwide. I called the art 'America the Beautiful' because it is such an amazing country with so much beauty and diversity. I had a lot of fun creating this artwork as you can imagine, it made me want to take a road trip across country with my family. I hope that you enjoy it too. My hope is children will be blessed to learn from this art as well as enjoy the colors and fun illustrations!

Check out your local Target stores in the kids bedding section and let me know if you see it. You can purchase online HERE

Blue sky

2011-05-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm doing my last minute stuff for Surtex.

All the best designs are done at the last minute :)

It's been a crazy last few months getting ready.

All I seem to do is paint, draw, design and print!

I'm more prepared than I thought I would be at this point.

Can't wait to meet everyone and reveal my new collections!

I'm looking forward to a long lazy summer with my family.
aaahhh I can see the beach!

More tips and tidbits

11. Have a variety of design for seasons

12. Quality not quantity

13. Label all your work with a number or name

14. Keep your work organized

15. What market do you want to work in

16. Look out for manufacturers in that market

17. Research the companies you like

18. Keep up-to-date with what products they have available

19. Learn about licensing contracts

20. Learn about copyright

21. Keep focused on your work

22. Don't be distracted with what you want to do

23. Have a vision of what you would like to do

24. Make a plan about your vision

25. Keep your plan simple

Royal wedding London bus

2011-04-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Royal wedding

2011-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Can you tell, I really had fun with this design! Yorkshire Tea is my favorite drink that my wonderful husband makes me every morning! I was born in Yorkshire England, so in honor of the Royal Wedding on Friday 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. I will be posting everything English this week :)

You can check out more of the wedding information HERE

Good Friday

2011-04-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

I like this one. It reminds me that all things are new and

life begins again at Easter.

Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

We are all artists!

2011-04-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned this before, but today I was inspired to go into more detail about how I became an artist. When I was a child, from the youngest age I can remember I knew I was meant to be an artist. I would spend hours in my room drawing flowers. I always drew them from my imagination. Flowers are still my favorite thing to draw and I still do that today! I was told, you won't make any money being an artist. But that didn't bother me or discourage me. Something in me that told me that, not anything outside of me, just in me. I really believe God has given us all a purpose to do something in this life that makes a difference and shows His love and purpose for our lives. Being creative is something I am so passionate about, it is His gift to me and I am thankful for it everyday! I tell my children to do what comes from their hearts because that is what God wants for them. Whatever the gift is, teaching, speaking, reading, singing, music, sports, laughing, it can be used to bless others. It has taken me my life to figure this out and I'm still on that journey. It will take the rest of my life to fulfill that journey but it's a journey that I love. We are all artists in whatever we do, we are all God's creation.

Thanks for being part of my art, my hope is that it blesses you!

Happy Hoppy Easter

2011-04-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Easter is just around the corner and I love it.

I just got my map delivered. As soon as I get it photographed I will be posting it!

More tips and tidbits

6. Try to pick seasonal designs with seasonal colors or trends.

7. Design what you love to do, your style will come

8. I love to design for kids and florals so I mainly stick to that

9. Keep up with trends

10. Plan at least 1 year ahead!

Mr. croc

2011-04-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Mr. croc is eating up all my time! But he's still cute.

Tree bloom

2011-04-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I pick my colors from nature. I saw this amazing tree with vibrant red bloom growing on the branches, It was so beautiful. The colors inspired me! If any of you know the name of this tree, leave it in the comments! thanks and have a lovely week:)

Artists who blog interview

2011-04-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

'artists who blog' is an inspiring blog created by Stephanie Levy, she is an American artist living in Germany. On her blog she shares interviews with artist from around the globe. It's one of my favorite reads! Thank you Stephanie for the opportunity to interview with you. You can read the interview HERE.

Meadow

2011-04-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

GREAT NEWS: My USA Children's map is being shipped to Target stores as we speak. America the Beautiful will be in your store very soon, let me know if you see it in the kids bedding isle, I haven't see it yet! I will be doing a BIG reveal very soon. Can't wait to share it with you... Thanks!!

Meadow is a collection that I will reveal at Surtex. This is only a small part of the collection. It has a bright soft feel. I have been preparing for Surtex the last year, it's going to be amazing, I can't wait to go! If any of you have been, feel free to leave comments or tips that you may have. I'm going to doing 100 tips and tidbits about Surtex before we go. Here are the first 5:

First thing is first, book the show and start planning!
Think about what product you would like to have your work on
Plan out what designs you would like to take
Buyers want to see collections
Design your collections with a theme in mind

Happy Flowers

2011-04-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hope this brightens up your day.

Blue owl

2011-04-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have some new children's canvas wall art that will be in Target any day now. They're in the bedding section, if you see them let me know. I will be doing a sneak peak soon, so stay posted. I'm so excited to show you! Hope your having a great week.

My First Book Block

2011-04-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here is my first published children's book collection. 12 book set with 5 colorful illustrations in each to teach your little one their first words. Only measures 1.75in x1.75in - Perfect for those cute little baby hands!

Waiting patiently!

2011-03-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for months to get my first published book collection and its 'in the mail!' I can't wait to share it with you. Been working round the clock to get ready for Surtex, only 6 more weeks. I have tons of new collections to share. So check back if you want to see my new books.

Thanks!

2011-03-30T08:55:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone for my birthday wishes, I enjoyed reading them!

Yesterday was our 15th Wedding Anniversary, we actually met 20 years ago today. We wanted to get married on the anniversary of the day we met, but that didn't work out. So we got married on my birthday which was kinda dumb, I have a hard time remembering it! So we celebrate it on the day we met.

My husband is the best! He has been so busy lately but he still managed to make my day special, he does every year!! We went out for dinner and when we got home he gave me a yummy chocolate ice cream cake. I looked in the freezer for it this morning but it wasn't there! I thought to myself I don't think we ate the whole thing, but NO he wouldn't put it in the fridge would he? I opened the fridge and there it was, all sprawled out, my lovely chocolate ice cream cake looking quite sad. awwwwwww after 20 years you just have to laugh :)

Just for FUN, if your in the mood share a funny story about your birthday!

My Birthday

2011-03-29T04:33:00.000-07:00

Its my birthday today, here's some cake I'd like
to share with you :) Pretty Yummy!

Flying Red Airplane

2011-03-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Flying thru the weekend, almost ready for a new week.

Flying Red Airplane HERE

Flying Navy Airplane HERE

Circle flowers

2011-03-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend!

fly away birdies

2011-03-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristina has a really cute blog HERE.

Most of you probably know it :)

She does lots of great things for people thru her blog.

A couple of weeks ago she found out

her daughter has Type 1 diabetes.

It was a huge adjustment for her family.

A digital scrapbook has been created for donations

to help pay for the unexpected medical bills.

If you love to do digital scrapbook, check out

these cute kits HERE for as little as $1

yet more flowers

2011-03-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I am obsessed with flowers!! I just can't stop drawing them :- That was my favorite thing to do as a kid. I would lock myself away in my room and just draw flowers... I guess I haven't changed :)

Happy 1st day of Spring

2011-03-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Little Creatable. Winner of my Metro Cafe Fabric!

Thank you to all who participated :)

Pink yummy cupcakes

2011-03-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Don't these just look good enough to eat! I love to paint more that anything and these days I just don't get a whole lotta time to do that. I'm doing my first Tradeshow this year at Surtex in NY. Just can't wait but getting ready for it is a huge job!! So I'm working a lot more until the show. I'm taking my best friend. We've been friends since we were sweet 16, it will be fun :)

Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

My grandma was from Ireland along with a lot of my family. Ireland is a beautiful country with beautiful people. One day I hope to visit there to see were she lived. Happy St. Patricks Day! What are you cooking for dinner? I'm doing Irish Tacos :)

Cafe Metro Giveaway

2011-03-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Had such a nice weekend, hope you did too:) Our clocks went forward, another sign that Spring is coming! I have so much to share with you. I've been really busy the last few months creating lots of fun products that are coming out this Spring. Yay!

I'm doing another giveaway for all my fab followers!!
You can win my new Robert Kaufman fabric collection CAFE METRO

1. To enter to win, you HAVE to be FOLLOW MY BLOG (on the right)
2. Follow me on TWITTER
3. Follow my FACEBOOK
4. LEAVE A COMMENT on my blog about "what is your favorite thing about SPRING"

Sound easy! It is:) If your already doing all that, then all you have to do is leave a comment.

Please feel free to post about this on your blog or tweet, you know I would appreciate that!

Good luck to everyone... the winner will be announced

Sunday March 20th, the first day of Spring, aaahhhhh!

The winner will receive the 3 Metro Cafe fabrics.

Solar System

2011-03-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

This was a fun project to work on!

I created it a while back for Target.

The world is an amazing creation, but sometimes we

experience such difficult things that are out of our hands.

Today my prayers and thoughts are with

the people affected by the earthquake in Japan.

Smell the flowers

2011-03-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

We had such a nice weekend, the weather was perfect, it felt like Spring around here! But now its raining today so I'm dreaming of the next day the sun is shining. Although I do love the rain too :)

Got another GIVEAWAY coming up this week, stop by for more info!

Happy Monday

Matisse

2011-03-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Painters is the French artist Henri Matisse (31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954). He was known for his use of color. I studied his work during my art degree. He loved bright and expressive color. He used a lot of primary colors in his art. His later work is my favorite called gouaches découpés. Large pieces of art created with paper collage. I saw some of his originals when I visited the Art Museums in France. They are just AMAZING!

Red Fish - By Henri Matisse

The Pink Tablecloth - By Henri Matisse

Blue Nudes - Henri Matisse

Happiness blossoms in March!

2011-03-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Well March is finally here, and it is just beautiful outside. Thank you Lord! March is my favorite month, not just because it's my birthday month:) but also its my favorite season! It is so pretty to see new life begin. Remember, first day of Spring is March 20th. Yay winter is almost done!

Here is design I created last year for a card company.

I never posted it and its one of my favorites!

I love the pretty words.

I believe the good seeds we plant

blossom and grow like beautiful plants.

More GOOD news...

Congratulations to

joeygirl86

The winner of the

Birdhouse giveaway!

Your comment number 9

was chosen with Random.org

Please email me for further details.

Thank EVERYONE who participated in the giveaway,

I LOVED reading all your comments!

I wish you all could win:)

Don't be disappointed I will be doing another GIVEAWAY soon.

Happy March 1st!

Last chance to win Birdhouse

2011-02-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Just a reminder that today is the last day to leave a comment to win the cute Birdhouse HERE. You can leave as many comments as you like! I will be picking a number by random.org so the more comments the more chance to win.

On another note I'm currently designing all my new collections for Surtex in May. Just can't wait for that! You may not know this but all the stuff for 2012 is being designed now:) I've got to be thinking a year ahead. Yikes! I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight! But I absolutely love what I do. The most exciting thing for me is obviously the design but mostly to see the end product. I have some really fun products coming out in Spring that I can't wait to share with you.

What gets your creative juices flowing? I need to have my desk clear and all my thoughts just on my ideas. I have a studio for painting and a studio for my digital stuff. If there's too much paperwork, then watch out Artistic ADD!! Yes I definitely have that:)

Check back tomorrow to see who wins:)

Rustic Roosters

2011-02-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

Aren't these Roosters so cute. They are my first product made with metal. They go with the Rooster trays that I show a little while back HERE. They are part of a new collection called Meditarranean Melange Available for Spring. I will add a link when they are available on-line. Hope you have a lovely Sunday!!

Wild Friends Adorables!

2011-02-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! I just came across the cutest shop using my 'Wild Friends' fabrics on fab baby accessories! I just let you know about terrific shop and the creative mom behind it!

The Etsy shop is Adris Adorables. What makes this shop so special is Adrianne is a Marine Corps Spouse and Mom creating cute handmade adorableness for babies! Please check out her shop HERE and spread the word. Thank you!! :)

Here

and here!

Birdhouse

2011-02-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

I am hosting a giveaway to celebrate spring is coming. aaaah some warm weather! Would you love to win this cute birdhouse. I has my design on it. Available in store and on-line.

Made of metal about 12 in high.

To be in the running to win all you have to do is

Follow my blog

Leave me a comment

Follow me on Facebook

I will announce the winner on March 1. Good luck:)

Your fun to hang around with!

2011-02-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone:)

{This is part of a card I designed for American Greetings}

BIG thank you to all of my new followers who participated in the giveaway.

Hope you enjoyed the SWEET papers.

THANK YOU for your comments, I enjoyed reading them ALL!

The GIVEAWAY promotion finishes today but check back for more coming:)

I am putting together my kits for the next few weeks to go in Sugarhill.

If there is A DESIGN you would like to see in my SHOP

Please email me and I will try my best to design them:)

Email is at the top right of my blog.

Have a SWEET day :P

Colorful garden

2011-02-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Friday, yeah!

One of my prints now available on wall art and tote bags. Fun colors!

Love is in the air

2011-02-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Happy February everyone! Here is a pattern design I recently worked on. I like lots of color, texture and not so perfect! For things to be a little more in the moment.

Between you and me... happy valentines day

2011-01-25T08:07:00.001-08:00

a card I recently designed, in Target stores now.

Butterfly dreams

2011-01-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about setting goals and dreams for 2011. Do you ever sit down at the beginning of the year with a new list of resolutions then by the end of january, they're just about forgotten. This year I'm writing down all my goals/dreams. Hopefully this will help me to stay on track!!

Here's a couple of dreams I want to accomplish this year...

Publish a children's book that I wrote and illustrated in college...

yes it's been gathering dust that long!!

Take a family vacation to England, we haven't been there since we left in 1999...

yikes been a while!

Get healthier of course.

Find my dream studio where I can paint and create wonderful art for you!

If you have any dreams/goals that have been gathering dust I'd love to hear about them...

so make that dream a reality and share:)

Beach in January

2011-01-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today we are having warm weather for this time of year so we made the most of it and headed for the beach. I played with my new camera and had some fun with it. I'm sending you a little sunshine to brighten up those cold days.